To the Members of the Georgetown Community,
I am writing to share with you recent developments in the Big East Conference, of which Georgetown has been a member since the conference’s founding in 1979.
Earlier today, presidents representing seven Big East universities with strong basketball traditions – Georgetown, DePaul, Marquette, Providence, Seton Hall, St. John’s, and Villanova – voted unanimously to pursue an orderly evolution to a foundation of basketball schools that honors the history and tradition on which the Big East was established. In the current context of national athletic conference realignment, we believe pursuing a new foundation for our intercollegiate athletics that builds on this tradition of excellence and competition is the best way forward.
Georgetown is honored to be associated with the outstanding group of institutions that have made up the Big East Conference for more than three decades and the students and coaches who represent these schools. They are extraordinary competitors and we have benefited from the talent, skills and dedication they have brought to our community.
At Georgetown, we are extremely proud of our students engaged in intercollegiate athletics. We are grateful to the coaches and staff who support them in our Athletics Department, under the exceptional leadership of Director Lee Reed, as they excel academically and in athletic competition. In the last 16 months alone, nearly 50 percent of Georgetown student athletes earned All Big East academic awards. In addition, 11 Georgetown teams competed in NCAA postseason play, winning national championships in women’s cross country and sailing and most recently playing for the national championship in men’s soccer.
Through their many contributions to our community and accomplishments on the court, on the field and in the classroom, our students and athletics staff represent a history of excellence, which is at the core of our programs and our university. This rich tradition will continue to characterize Georgetown. In this spirit, we look forward to establishing this new foundation and to the benefits it will yield for our intercollegiate athletics and our community.
Sincerely,
John J. DeGioia
President
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